Room and board or tuition.

Scholarship winners get to pick if they want their scholarship money to go towards room and board or tuition, right? What if I were to live on campus for just my freshman year. (Provided that I receive a scholarship) will I be able to use the money for room and board my first year and then tuition for the next 3 years?

Scholarship winners get to pick if they want their scholarship money to go towards room and board or tuition, right? What if I were to live on campus for just my freshman year. (Provided that I receive a scholarship) will I be able to use the money for room and board my first year and then tuition for the next 3 years?

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Scholarship money can be applied to tuition, fees and expenses but NOT room and board. That is the responsibility of the scholarship awardee.

A yearly book stipend is also given to defray or cover the cost of books.

At least this is my limited knowledge of what AF/NROTC scholarships can be applied to.

Scholarship winners get to pick if they want their scholarship money to go towards room and board or tuition, right? What if I were to live on campus for just my freshman year. (Provided that I receive a scholarship) will I be able to use the money for room and board my first year and then tuition for the next 3 years?

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If you rent off campus in AROTC, the R &B money may not hit your account until Nov/Dec, so be prepared to pay the deposit and the first couple of months yourself.

Scholarship winners get to pick if they want their scholarship money to go towards room and board or tuition, right? What if I were to live on campus for just my freshman year. (Provided that I receive a scholarship) will I be able to use the money for room and board my first year and then tuition for the next 3 years?

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Can you specify which branch of ROTC you are going to be in? You'll get much clearer advice.

As said above, AROTC allows those on scholarship to decide at the beginning of each year whether they want the scholarship to cover Tuition and Fees or Room and Board. There are pros and cons to each side, depending on the costs at your school. If you choose Tuition and Fees, ROTC will just pay the balance on your student account for Tuition and Fees. If you choose Room and Board, they send you a check (or direct deposit) for an amount that is calculated based on the average cost of living.

We posted at the same time, but VB Dad hits on a great point. I had my scholarship converted to room and board my final two years in AROTC and it usually takes towards the end of the semester before you see that money hit your account which could put you in a bind for paying rent, etc.

I believe that R & B is taxable, but not tuition. Correct me if I'm wrong .

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Scholarship money used for tuition is not taxable, as Jcleppe has noted. Neither is the stipend or book allowance. Some of us have proven (to our own satisfaction at least) that R&B is taxable, whether its source is ROTC scholarship money or an additional contribution from the school. However, there are one or more SAF posters who maintain it is not taxable, based on advice from their accountants.

If R&B is taxable, other considerations arise. For example, is the cadet a dependent on his or her parents' tax return? If so, their income and marginal tax rates could increase, though this could be offset by (a) a dependent deduction and (b) tuition deductions or tax credits.

I won't get into the mind-numbing variations and complexities here. If you don't do your own taxes, hopefully your accountant has familiarity with this somewhat arcane subject.

Curiosity question. Do they just give you a blank check or do you have to submit the lease as proof?

I.E. AD it is called BAH and you can pocket the difference. The lease is just proof that you have a home, AND it allows them to monitor if the amount is correct overall.

Just saying theoretically, cadet Smith may have merit scholarship from the college and use this money to buy a car by living at home with the folks. They could take the lease out in their name and sublet to other students, so they can make money that way too.

R&B is calculated based on the cost of housing up to $10K. What the Cadet gets paid is what the school says the cost of housing plus board (meal plan) is. After talking to my HRA it sounds like theoretically Cadet Smith could figure out how to make some money on the deal if she/he was creative.

Curiosity question. Do they just give you a blank check or do you have to submit the lease as proof?

I.E. AD it is called BAH and you can pocket the difference. The lease is just proof that you have a home, AND it allows them to monitor if the amount is correct overall.

Just saying theoretically, cadet Smith may have merit scholarship from the college and use this money to buy a car by living at home with the folks. They could take the lease out in their name and sublet to other students, so they can make money that way too.

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If you live on campus, you give the copy of what you paid in your R&B to the AROTC HR person. They then give you that amount back up to $5,000 per semester for a yearly total of up to $10,000. Only stay in the dorm but no meal plan, then you give the receipt for what you paid for the dorm and they give you the median price of the school's meal plans up to the same amounts.

If you live off campus, AROTC has some kind of mathematical equation based upon typical housing costs near and/or around your college and what they pay you is based upon that. You are not required to show them any kind of receipt at all. Of course it's the same thing, up to $5,000 per semester for a yearly total of up to $10,000.
Now in this instance, how you use the money is up to the cadet. If they wish to use all of it on housing, it's their call. If they live rent free with a friend let's say and don't really eat a lot, then I guess they could pocket whatever they don't spend.

When you use the money for R&B, it got paid to my son for 4 years at the end of Nov. for the Fall semester and in March for the Spring semester.

Now as my son graduated this past May and is AD, I can only tell you what it was like for the last 4 years. As we know CC, changes things all the time so I have no idea as to how things are happening for this school year.

The cadets at VT if given the option, which they aren't, would make out like bandits because aptmts in that area run @400 a month per student and VT charges over 10k for R & B. That would leave them with about 500 a month for food. Leases run 12 months. So if my math is correct, that leaves them 5200 for Aug- May or 500 a month and that is also placing into the equation that utilities for a year maybe 500. At least for our DD that is what we avg with her.

Flip side for cadets at GMU would be feeling the pain. Apartments can cost 700 per month per student, and a lease is 12 months. That leaves them with 1600 a year for food. GMU also charges over 10k for R & B.

Now minus out tax implications and that isn't looking so good if you can use it for tuition.

R&B is calculated based on the cost of housing up to $10K. What the Cadet gets paid is what the school says the cost of housing plus board (meal plan) is. After talking to my HRA it sounds like theoretically Cadet Smith could figure out how to make some money on the deal if she/he was creative.

We had a student, grade 7, print his own tickets to our version of the American Idol at our school. Needless to say, his creativity was punished. I imagine the facility was packed beyond the fire code.

We had a student, grade 7, print his own tickets to our version of the American Idol at our school. Needless to say, his creativity was punished. I imagine the facility was packed beyond the fire code.

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Are you suggesting I should be punished for collecting what the Army determined was sufficient for my room and board, despite my ways of finding a living situation suitable for my needs, but below the average? Or am I just reading it all wrong?